After collapse of the peace talks, the war moved into the cities. Seven towns are destroyed. I wanted to document this destruction, in one of these towns Yüksekova / Hakkari. Heavy military presence and ongoing tension in the region did not let me work freely. Shaped with the difficult conditions, I had to improvise in form and content to carry the stories out. The work includes several still images, videos, and sound works;

still images from “the State we are in”

the State 2018 – HD Video, 4’15”, Kurdish with English subtitles.

The piece is based on a copy of Picasso’s Guernica that I found in Yüksekova-Hakkari, one of the seven towns that have been destroyed by the State after the collapse of conversations for a possible agreement on peace. The work is contemporary reading of Guernica in the light of recent warfare in Kurdistan.

still from “the State”

the Encounter (working title)

(in collaboration with Mahkum Abi)

2018 HD Video, aprx. 6 minutes.

In Yuksekova, after the destruction, one of the things that strikes the eyes is the amount of rubbles, and people that collect scrap metal. In the aftermath of the destruction in the city, collecting scrap metal became the only possible occupation for many residents: trying to make a living out of the rubbles of their homes. The film depicts one day of a scrap dealer and his unexpected encounter with Picasso’s Guernica.